


Remnants

by elwing_alcyone



Category: Death Note
Genre: 100-1000 Words, Canonical Character Death, Community: 30_kisses, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-02
Updated: 2010-01-02
Packaged: 2017-10-05 15:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elwing_alcyone/pseuds/elwing_alcyone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of drabbles: the aftermath of two deaths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remnants

I

The plan represents everything about Mello that makes Near uncomfortable. Reckless stupidity. How very typical of Matt to go along with it. He probably didn't even argue.

_I didn't want to win this way,_ Near thinks, staring at the Mello doll so intently it should be melting. He has not made Matt because Matt was not a player. Matt only joined in so he could die for Mello.

And Mello knew it was suicide and did it anyway.

He sends the Mello doll skittering across the floor - _you lose_ \- but retrieves it, because he does not feel like a winner.

II

Roger cancels the day's lessons without explanation. He's never liked any of the children much, but three of them have died in four years, doing what he taught them. It was too late for them long before they left. They could never be called off a case.

The photograph of Quillsh Wammy has no uncertainty. He looks smugly benevolent. He never lived to see the first L die, and now these two...

Whenever Mello ran somewhere, Matt followed.

If Near dies too, Roger decides, he will shut it down. Leave the world to Kira, who only ever killed his enemies.

III

Linda finds out two days after. Kids who grew up where she did don't lose track of each other; it's not in their nature (or nurture) to lose. She dials Near (he'd never answer) and the others, who know already or are too crazy to care.

She sketches what she remembers. Matt sitting in the corner (every corner), knees up by his ears, his features pencilled lightly - she didn't know him well. Mello one row across from her, gnawing his pen like chocolate, and gripping the sides of his seat whenever he was second (and kissing Matt, eyes wide open).

IV

They take the car and hold it a few months, press the bullet-holes out of the hood and sell it on to a student who wants to go fast, but cheaply.

He gets what he paid for – it does go fast, but the tyres are bald. Someone drove the hell out of it, once.

He finds cigarette ash in the ashtray and melted chocolate in the glove compartment. He listens to the cassette in the player long enough to determine it's not his taste: loud, all in English. The previous owner must've been foreign.

He doesn't waste much time wondering.

V

After three days with no answer, Nakata lets himself in. Fucking Western kids never paying the damn rent, it's been a _month_.

It smells of sweat and old smoke. A laptop sits open, hibernating.

The window is open, dripping rainwater, mould growing beneath it; there's dust on the computer keyboard. The crumpled receipt for chocolate and cigarettes is six weeks old.

When he touches the laptop a countdown starts, and while he's staring it reaches zero and a message flashes up in English; he doesn't understand _all data deleted_. After a moment it disappears, and there's only a blank screen.

VI

The blonde woman says, 'My friend lived there.'

'Your friend disappeared and never came back. Tell him he owes me a month's rent.'

'He's dead,' she says, her eyes glittering. 'I'm here to collect what he left.'

She could be lying, but that's not his concern. 'Pay up the rent and it's yours.'

'No rent,' she says, holding up a badge. '_Now_, please, Mr Nakata.'

'What about his weird roommate?' Nakata asks from the door. 'The smoker. He dead too?'

She has to think about that one a bit. 'Yes.'

'Young to die,' he says suspiciously.

'Yes,' she says again.

VII

They were wide awake.

'You're sure they'll only want to question me?' said Matt.

'Yeah. You're my accomplice, you're valuable.'

'Uh-huh. And if the questioning gets... unpleasant?'

'Lie if you think they'll buy it. Get away if you can. Don't come back for me.'

'Okay.'

'You will, though, you idiot.'

'Nope,' Matt said blandly.

'Just drive and keep driving. Don't look back.'

'Okay.'

'Christ, Matt, just _stop_.'

Abruptly Matt leaned over in the dark and kissed Mello on the chin, then the mouth, blindly, hard. 'I won't die,' he said. 'Promise.'

Mello pulled Matt down again and kept his eyes open.


End file.
